Happy New Year! Goodbye 2024, Hello 2025

2024 was a wild ride, even for post-Pandemic standards. 

From my side of the pond these were the biggest things: 

• Political turmoil

• Ukraine still stands

• Myanmar, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria 

• chinese aggression 

• Record typhoons & flooding in the Philippines

• California Wildfire

• Earthquakes

• Consolidating your preps

• Look out for your health

A lot of these events will intensify. Plan accordingly 'coz we're already out of time. 

What do we do? We're still mending wounds and fences. Some of us are just grateful to be intact. 

Unfortunately there are far too many who could not say the same. 

-------------

Let's look out for each other more this year. Make new friends, get out of your echo chamber.  Form your tribe already. 

For countless people around the world, SHTF has already come to them. Time is immensely precious.  Every day wasted could never be taken back. 

To my good readers, thank you for staying with us. I sincerely hope that things go your way in 2025. 

Stay vigilant!

Shooting in the Rain 🌧

Here's the link to the video on Instagram 

2024 had way too many typhoons. I mean almost every month hitting Metro Manila. Strong wind, sideways rain, severe floods. The whole enchilada. 

Two of them were even "once in a decade" in intensity. 

Since I work in the vicinity of a few shooting ranges, I had more than a few chances to try my gear. As a bonus I would usually have the place all to myself since it would be raining cats and dogs. 

Are eclosed emitter optics useless in a storm? 

I wanted to see for myself.  I've shot in the rain a few times, wasn't terrible. I could not resist doing the same during an all out tropical cyclone. 

Optic: Holosun 510c

It was not a pleasant experience. I needed to make a few hard shakes on the gun to toss the water pooling into the emitter so I could get a serviceable retice.

Taking precise shots will be nearly twice as hard. That directly correlates to taking more time. 

As you can see in the reel, 8-inch plates at 25 meters sometimes needed more than one round. 

What about mud, blood, and undead guts? Who knows what life will throw at us? At the very least I will take more than twice the time needed to engage each target. 

When SHTF, everything has already gone sideways. So if you intend to use an open emitter optic, you'd better be practicing in ways that simulate all of these bad things rolled into one. 

Solutions

I can get an enclosed emitter optic like the Holosun AEMS or the Holosun 515GM. 

Im gravitating towards any model that has a quick-detach mount. There are also good options from Primary Arms, Trijicon, and Aimpoint. 

There are also 3d printed shrouds that can be clipped on very handily. This will be my immediate option in a few weeks. 

Having back-up iron sights are also a great option. They are inexpensive and take up little rail space. 

Our most valuable lessons come from getting out there. Might as well have some fun while you're at it. Touch some grass folks. 

Stay vigilant!

Merry Christmas!🎄

 

Yes these ARE a few of our new toys coming soon to this blog ;-) 

Wishing that your family stays safe, healthy, blessed, and happy this Christmas 🎄

I can't believe December is ending already. We've been busy in a very good way. A lot of growth, hard lessons, struggles, and little triumphs here and there. I hope things have also gone well for all of my kind readers. 

And for those who have had it rough this year: hang in there. There are people who care and are always cheering you on. You will always matter. 

Stay vigilant!

7.4 Magnitude Taiwan Earthquake, April 3, 2024

 

This blog supports the country of Taiwan 🇹🇼 and all her people. 

You know the drill: 

• Have you made an emergency plan?

• Where will your family hunker down if the home is unsafe? 

• How will you stay in touch if you are separated from your family? 

• Do you have enough food and water? 

• Do you have emergency supplies and medication? 

• How long can you last while waiting for help?

Seriously, 7.4 would wreck any downtown metro in the Philippines and hurt countless people. 

*****

2024 has a lot of major things going on aside from the wars in Ukraine, Israel, the Middle East, and Africa. 

We also have the chinese threat to content with. In the Philippines its the sleeper cells that are a major concern as we are practically at the front row to the aggressor alongside Taiwan. They are most definitely looking for ways to capitalize from this situation. 

Communist china capitalizing on Taiwan's misfortune?  I made a dark funny right there. 

Hold up, Japan was ALSO hit by 7.4 on New Year's Day. Wth

Stay vigilant!

2024 AR-15 SHTF Loadout Series, Part I: Introduction

I've been wanting to post this for a really long time. Putting together a Loadout article is always a daunting task. It involves evaluating every single item related to that setup, and that takes a lot of time. Three years, in this case.

A mountain of brass and a pandemic later, I proudly present:

The Zombie Hunter's 2024 Tactical Loadout

In this series, we shall examine the ecosystem that supports our selection of primary weapons. 

Starting with the AR15, I will feature three configurations that can cover a wide variety of scenarios.

Other primary weapons are the Benelli M3T, and the JP Enterprises JP-5. They will have their own section as they excel in more specialized roles. 

For simplicity's sake, the secondary weapons are comprised of our various handguns. 

Versatility is key

Capability vs Limitations: "The Mission Drives the Gear"

I designed these three configurations to address the most likely scenarios where I will need to whip out my main fighting rifle. From heavy assault, static defense, recon, and everything in between.

Of course, like in all video games or RPG, I am primarily limited by Encumbrance (weight) and concealability.  For the latter, there will be times when I do not want to be too overt about my intentions. 

The Crye JPC plate carrier setup weighs the most but is best suited for combat. It has everything I need for a real fight but this is also the most conspicuous to wear. 

On the opposite end, the Savior Equipment magazine pouch is a bandolier that carries a fair amount of ammo and medical while being the lightest and most concealable of the three. 

In addition to all that, I will also be carrying on my back an Assault Pack that will weight around 25 pounds and has mission-related and sustainment gear.

Why The AR Platform? 

The first part will feature the AR-15. This firearm uses the most capable round for SHTF. Its effective range is ideal for urban combat and weighs a lot less than other options like 7.62 or 12-gauge shells. 

5.56 NATO can defeat armor, it has a lot of rounds on tap, its trajectory is flat thanks to my 50 meter zero. I can even hand-load this caliber. 

The firearm that we own is also reliable enough to shoot thousands of rounds without issue, and we have the parts to keep it running for a whole lot more. 

Line 2 Gear: The Battle Belt

This has seen a lot of use since 2018. Trial & error has brought me to where everything is arranged to be comfortable in any position. My battle belt supports my rifle and sidearm which can also be pressed into a primary fighting implement. 

I can sit in the car all day, go supine without hurting my lower back, lay flat on the ground and access everything I need without a hassle. Most importantly I can draw my pistol magazines and tourniquet very easily. 

I am also cross-eye dominant. That explains the placement of my rifle magazine. Go figure it out :-P

Going Forward

Various trends in the "tacti-cool" scene have came and gone from when this blog began in 2010. Battle belts, chest rigs, optics, assault packs, and armor have all undergone significant changes in that time. This blog did not follow blindly, we chose our kit wisely. 

Stay with me for part two of the 2024 Tactical Loadout Series as we examine in closer detail our three configurations for the AR-15 Ecosystem starting with the heaviest setup of the three: The Plate Carrier. 

Stay vigilant!